Dining on a Budget | MAAR's Pizza

Updated 10:30 am, Friday, March 8, 2013

The Heaven's Brisket pizza has house-made brisket on top of a thick crust. It's different but worth trying.

The Heaven's Brisket pizza has house-made brisket on top of a thick crust. It's different but worth trying.

Photo: Photos By Helen L. Montoya / San Antonio Express-News

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Alien Fingers, aka fried green beans, are addictive but would be better with a house-made ranch dressing.

Alien Fingers, aka fried green beans, are addictive but would be better with a house-made ranch dressing.

Dining on a Budget | MAAR's Pizza

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Big deal — breaded and fried green beans. But they're absolutely addictive, so much so that I kept eating them long after I should have stopped.

The appetizer is called Alien Fingers, and it's among the many fun and tasty items at MAAR's Pizza, which uses all kinds of celestial puns to play off its name.

If only the ranch dressing that accompanied these bits of fried goodness had been house-made instead of bottled, they would have been irresistible.

The name, by the way, comes from the family that owns this restaurant: Martha, Alison, Ashley and René Lujan. If the last name rings a bell, it's because they're related to the family that owns the Big Lou's pizza and burger places. But the styles of pizza are completely different.

Here, the crust is thick, with the edge almost as chewy as a bagel. It's tasty, but it can fill you up quickly and that could mean missing out on some other goodies. So pace yourself and enjoy the quite pleasant baked wings, which don't feel as heavy as the traditional fried ones.

You'll want to scarf down several slices of pizza, because the crust works well with a balanced tomato sauce and generous toppings. The combination succeeds in a basic pepperoni sauce and it works especially well in a brisket pizza. The Heaven's Brisket pizza includes house-made brisket, a topping that evokes barbecue sauce and yellow cheese. Sounds funky. It's worth trying.

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A gyro was reminiscent of a neighborhood Greek take-out place but our group was too full to try the burger or hot dog.

There weren't any true disappointments but a couple of things could have been better. One of them, the MAAR's Sub, started well enough. It has plenty of goodness with ham, turkey, salami and provolone, mayonnaise and a drizzle of Italian dressing. Maybe it's just a personal preference, but a spread of yellow mustard took away from all the other ingredients.

The sandwich is served with housemade potato chips and most of the ones at our table were perfectly fried, except for a few floppy ones. The place was pretty busy during our lunch visit, but it's still important to watch the consistency.

Back to the lack of house-made ranch dressing. Folks here take the time to make the green beans, fried pickle slices, and jalapeño bottle caps from scratch. They deserve a much better ranch dressing.

Still, this place has become a neighborhood favorite for a good reason. With some tweaking, it could draw fans from throughout the city.